Folding or collapsible boats are generally known and many designs have been commercially available for many years. As a general rule, most of the known prior art structures are made up of a complex arrangement of stringers and formers which are joined together with latches and clamps to form a relatively loose framework in which bow and stern halves are temporarily hinged together amidships. Typically, the two halves of the framework are disconnected and when assembled, are rigidly connected together inside a skin to form the assembled boat. Such designs of folding kayaks and boats when disassembled result in a large number of disconnected pieces and require a considerable amount of time to reassemble, and a set of tools. Moreover, the assembly requires skill and care in following instructions and it is not unusual to lose an important piece of the structure when assembled.
French patent publication number 2,572,050 discloses a dismantable small craft of the canoe/kayak type which includes a hull made up of a flexible envelope held in shape and in tension by a frame consisting of a set of securely fastened tubes which can be retracted, but not taken apart. However, such a structure also includes a complicated arrangement requiring a protected tube perpendicular to the length of the craft, including screw fastenings which require assembly and disassembly with tools to fold and/or assemble the boat.
An alternative design is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,170 which discloses a framework characterized by plural longitudinal members including forward and aft member portions, forward, aft, port, and starboard chines and gunwale member portions, and forward and aft longitudinal deck members. The framework includes a cockpit structure with longitudinal members releasably interconnecting the cockpit structure with the bow and stern of the boat. The structure disclosed therein effectively permits the cockpit structure to be folded along one axis, parallel to the midportion thereof so as to bring the midportions closer together so that the kayak can be folded into a framework suitable for use as a backpack frame. Notwithstanding this folding structure, a closer review of the patents such as, for example, FIGS. 4-8, shows a series of screws, wing nuts and other elements which need to be connected and disconnected resulting in a structure which is not easy to assemble or disassemble.
In a further development, U.S. Pat. No. 7,383,787 of one of the co-inventors herein discloses a folding boat which includes bow and stern members made up of a pair of tubes connectable to each other through a pin mechanism. A plurality of chines extend the length of the boat and are made up of connected tubes which can be disconnected amidships. Cockpit tubes serve to define a cockpit region, and are interconnected by hinges and by pin clips to allow folding along two axes approximating one-fourth of its assembled size.
While constituting an improvement over the prior art, applicants have now made certain improvements and designed a new and different lightweight portable folding boat having an inner rigid frame that assembles quickly and easily. More particularly, in accordance with the invention, a user can quickly and easily assemble and disassemble the boat since all components are contained within the boat's skin.